A Handful of Roses
by crumbledpaper
Summary: Immortality comes hand in hand with Nostalgia. OCXEngland


_I don't own anything desu. Except for my house. And my OC. And my life-oh wait. I have none._

_FANFICS YAY._

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A petite figure leaned her head against her chair in the empty room, eyes wandering away from the book in her hands to the ceiling. The story had lost her interest a couple chapters ago with it's clichè plot, and she was now trying to find a different way to burn time.

Time, she mused, something she had too much of nowadays.

Brown orbs found the nearby picture sitting on the modest mahogany counter and after a second she reached out an arm to trace the features of the man that smiled gently at her from his wooden frame.

She remembered when she first met him, Arthur Kirkland.

It was centuries ago, when the world was still an uncharted mass of land to find and control. When pirates ruled the oceans and she had just been a simple bar maid working for a place to stay at night.

It was a little strange now, she muses, connecting the ruthless conqueror of the seas to the slightly scorned 'gentleman' he was today-not that she herself hadn't changed either. No, she had altered quite some too. Adjusting to the new periods of time.

In fact, her name hadn't always been Maria Harrison. On the contrary, she could still recall the time she had been known as someone else...

'_"CALICO TABLE 4!" I nodded and dutifully picked up the worn, metal platter stacked up with grub and beer, carefully balancing it in my arms as I made my rounds, the musky scent of men, ale, and smoke instantly invading my senses the moment I left the kitchen. You'd think that one would get use to the smell after a while, but it was still as strong and prominent as the day I first stepped foot into the worn tavern._

_ Ignoring the occasional jesting, hollered flirting, and slapping away the couple hands that tried to reach where they shouldn't, I did what I was instructed to. It was what happened daily when you worked in a shady pub, and the motions became a routine. __  
_

_Returning to the cookery after dropping off my load, I called out a couple more orders that had been shouted to me by the drunk customers and picked up another plate. My arms were aching as usual around this time, but work was almost finished. I had a few more minutes left before my shift was over._

_Exiting the area, I walked swiftly, finishing up the last of my commands when my eyes caught sight of a lone figure sitting in a corner, nothing but a small tankard in front of him. It wasn't extremely unusual, although most _did_ come drinking with their mates. But for some reason, I felt drawn, instincts urging me to converse with him._

_Hesitantly, I took a step before bracing my will and marching over to the table where the gold-haired stranger sat. Hopefully, it'll seem as if I was taking his order. The staff was strict on milking all that they could out of our hours. _

_Stopping in front of him, I only had to wait a second before he lifted up his head and with a start, my own brown eyes clashed with a vicious, brilliant green-__'_

"Darling?"

Her train of thought was snapped off by the soft, weary voice calling from the doorway. Standing up from her warm spot in the sofa, Maria took a brief moment to smooth down her skirt before quickly heading towards the entrance of the living room. Upon reaching her destination, she was greeted with the uplifting sight of her beloved hanging up his dark coat.

"Arthur." She smiled, moving to help him.

He turned towards her and mirrored her expression as Maria embraced him, inhaling his familiar scent of black tea and misty rain, mixed with the soft undertone of lush green hills. His arms wrapped around her like a familiar blanket.

A rush of comfort and love filled her veins, because Arthur was home and she couldn't be any happier.

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_Before any of you ask, I don't have a certain update schedule for this story. I'll update it whenever I get in the England mode(usually inspired by YouTube videos). _

_The length of the chapters will vary, I think, but they won't be dramatically different. _

_And if any of you were wondering-no, Arthur was not on some kind of long trip. He was just getting back from a day of work. Also, I would of made them meet way earlier but you can blame my lazy-ass ass. There also isn't much information on England's pirate history and stuff, so Imma just gonna wing it._

_Hope you enjoy~_


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